Chapter 4 - First Time Setup

Now that you have installed the Tablo app on your device, it will guide you through the set up process.

Open the Tablo app.

Connecting Using an Ethernet Connection

Connect the Ethernet cable from your router to the connector on the rear of the Tablo unit. If the connection is successful, the orange LED on the Ethernet connector should be lit and the green LED will flash intermittently. For Tablo to be discovered by the app, the Tablo and the device running the Tablo app need to be on the same router or network segment.

The Tablo app on your iPad will identify all the Tablo DVRs that are in your home network. Most people will only have one. Select Connect to Tablo which will initiate the set-up wizard.

The device running the Web app must also be on the same network as your Tablo and the Tablo must be connected to your network and the internet. Select your Tablo from the drop-down list and select connect.

Connecting Using Wi-Fi

Note: If you have already connected to your Tablo with an Ethernet cable and wish to switch to a Wi-Fi connection, unplug the Ethernet cable and press and release the Reset button quickly (the blue button located in the back of the unit) before proceeding.

*Wi-Fi instructions are available for the rest of our supported platforms here.

Open the Tablo app.

Select Add via Wi-Fi.

Switch to the Wi-Fi settings on your device and look for Tablo_XXXX in the list of Wi-Fi access points. The XXXX refers to the last 4 digits of the MAC address of your Tablo.

Select Tablo_XXXX in your device’s Wi-Fi set up screen and connect to it. No password is required. Verify that your device has connected to the Tablo_XXXX network.

Once you have connected to your Tablo's Wi-Fi network, leave the Settings app.

The Tablo app will display a list of Wi-Fi networks that are available. Select your home network to connect to it. If you do not see your home network in the list, you can select Rescan Wi-Fi Networks to initiate the search function again.

During re-scan, Tablo will disconnect while it scans the network. Your device will also disconnect from Tablo. If it does not reconnect automatically you will need to go back to your device’s Wi-Fi set-up screen to connect to the Tablo_XXXX again.

When you have re-connected to Tablo_XXXX, go back to the Tablo app and return to the Choose a Network screen. Select your home network from the list.

You will now be prompted to enter your network's password (if you have one set).

Tablo will now connect to your home network and the status of the connection will be displayed.

When Wi-Fi setup is complete, a connecting message will be displayed and your device will be disconnected from your Tablo.

Navigate to your device’s Wi-Fi network setup screen and connect to your home network. Once you have re-connected your device to your home Wi-Fi network, return to the Tablo app. Your Tablo should now be displayed on the Connect to Tablo screen.

From now on, your Tablo will automatically connect to your home network. If you change the password or router for your home network you will need to set-up the Wi-Fi again. In this case, select edit Wi-Fi on the Connect to Tablo screen.

Note: During this process, your Tablo's blue LED will be blinking once per second. The blue LED on the Tablo will stop flashing once it is connected to your network. From here, you will be able to connect to your Tablo normally.

Once the Wi-Fi access has been established, the app will rescan your local network for Tablo and your Tablo will be displayed. Select the Connect to Tablo button to run the rest of the set-up wizard.

Using the Setup Wizard

You will now begin the setup wizard that will take you through the steps to scan for broadcast channels, format your Hard Drive and set up the program guide.

Make sure the antenna is connected.

Enter your Postal Code or Zip Code or let the app discover where you are located.

Tablo will now scan for available broadcast TV stations in your area.

You may want to scan several times with different antenna positions or orientations to get the most number of channels. To scan for channels again, hit the rescan button.

Once you are satisfied that you are receiving the most available channels, you can enable or disable individual channels by selecting them individually. The app will identify major channels by placing a checkmark next to the channel.

Only channels with a check mark will be enabled to watch live and to record programs. At this time, if there are channels in which you’re not interested that have a checkmark, you may remove them by selecting the checkmark.

When you are satisfied with the channel list, select Add to Guide to start downloading the program guide.

A USB Hard Drive is required to watch live TV and to record programs. If you have not yet connected a USB Hard Drive, you will be reminded to connect one now. If you have a USB Hard Drive, connect it by plugging it into one of the available USB ports. You will then be prompted to format the drive.

Note that all data on the drive will be erased, so make sure you have backup copies of any files you would like to keep. It may take a few minutes to find the drive once you have plugged it in.

The format operation will continue in the background and the setup wizard will proceed to the next step. The status of the format operation is displayed in the Settings screen and at the top of the side bar.

To be sure that you understand that the drive will be erased and reformatted, type ‘FORMAT’ into the dialog box to confirm. While the formatting process is in progress, the Tablo's blue LED will flash.

The Program Guide data will then be downloaded from the internet to your Tablo. This process will take several minutes for each channel. Tablo will download the first day of programing for each channel before allowing full access to the full user interface.

The remaining 13 days of data will be downloaded in the background. This is a one-time operation. Moving forward, guide data will be downloaded nightly.